System and method for intelligent project schedule forecasting

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and other embodiments for providing scheduling of activities of a project plan associated with a computer application are described. In one embodiment, a project scheduling tool is configured to calculate a percentage time deviation, between an updated time duration and a planned time duration, for each present activity of a project to form a plurality of percentage time deviations. An arithmetic mean of the plurality of percentage time deviations is calculated and a planned time duration of at least one future activity of the project, related to each present activity, is transformed based on the arithmetic mean.

BACKGROUND

A project can be loosely defined as an endeavor to achieve a specificgoal, subject to some limiting constraints such as time and resources.Projects occur everywhere and may be of various scopes and importance.Some examples of projects include mapping the human genome, building thegolden gate bridge, putting a satellite into orbit, and renovating akitchen.

Managing a project can be a complicated affair, so much so that “ProjectManagement” has become a small industry by itself. There are books,professional bodies, consultants, and scores of software tools to aid inthe process of project management. Useful as all of these may be, delaysin projects that can lead to project failure are still alarminglyprevalent.

Projects today are often plagued by varied problems that can lead toschedule overruns and, sometimes, outright project failure. Today,project managers are restricted by the limitations of schedulingfunctionality provided by various project management software solutions.A scheduler in such software often takes the project plan and anyprogress recorded as the input, and provides a forecasted finish date asthe output. It does so typically by assuming that the remainder of thework will proceed at the planned pace. While useful, the forecasts madeby such schedulers are frequently inaccurate. They do not take intoaccount the ground realities of the project, even those for which theproject manager is aware.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate various systems, methods, andother embodiments of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that theillustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or othershapes) in the figures represent one embodiment of the boundaries. Insome embodiments one element may be designed as multiple elements orthat multiple elements may be designed as one element. In someembodiments, an element shown as an internal component of anotherelement may be implemented as an external component and vice versa.Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a computer system, having acomputing device configured with a project scheduling tool;

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate various example embodiments of project progressgraphs showing how the project scheduling tool of FIG. 1 facilitatesdetermining a more accurate completion date for a project;

FIG. 3 illustrates one example embodiment of a project progress graphshowing how the project scheduling tool of FIG. 1 facilitates thedefining of check points and the entering of associated comments withrespect to a project;

FIG. 4 illustrates a first example embodiment of a project progressgraph, provided by the project scheduling tool of FIG. 1, for a projectto connect two cities by railway track;

FIG. 5 illustrates a second example embodiment of a project progressgraph, provided by the project scheduling tool of FIG. 1, for a projectto connect two cities by railway track;

FIG. 6 illustrates a third example embodiment of a project progressgraph, provided by the project scheduling tool of FIG. 1, for a projectto connect two cities by railway track;

FIG. 7 illustrates a fourth example embodiment of a project progressgraph, provided by the project scheduling tool of FIG. 1, for a projectto connect two cities by railway track;

FIG. 8 illustrates a fifth example embodiment of a project progressgraph, provided by the project scheduling tool of FIG. 1, for a projectto connect two cities by railway track;

FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of a method performed by the projectscheduling tool of the computer system of FIG. 1, for aiding a projectmanager to obtain an accurate view of progress of a project, both pastand projected;

FIG. 10 illustrates one example embodiment of how the project schedulingtool of FIG. 1 determines a representative rate of progress foractivities of a project within a related project category using themethod of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11-12 illustrate one example embodiment of how the projectscheduling tool of FIG. 1 forecasts a completion date for a project byrolling up activities across categories of the project using the methodof FIG. 9; and

FIG. 13 illustrates one example embodiment of a computing device uponwhich the project scheduling tool of the computing system of FIG. 1 maybe implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following terms are used herein with respect to various embodiments.

The term “present activity”, as used herein, may refer to a completedactivity or an on-going activity. An on-going activity is an activitythat has started but is not completed. The terms “on-going activity” and“partially completed activity” may be used interchangeably herein. Theterm “future activity”, as used herein, refers to an activity that hasnot started. The term “uncompleted activity”, as used herein, may referto an on-going activity or a future activity.

The term “time duration”, as used herein, refers to a duration of timeover which an activity or project is to be or has been performed. Theterm “planned time duration”, as used herein, refers to an initialexpected duration of time over which an activity or project is to beperformed. The term “actual time duration”, as used herein, refers to apast duration of time during which an activity or project was fully orpartially completed.

The term “updated time duration”, as used herein, refers to a timeduration of an activity or a project that has been changed ortransformed from some previous time duration (e.g., from a planned timeduration or from a previously updated time duration). For example, anupdated time duration may be the result of a new estimate or projectionfor completing an activity or project. Furthermore, an updated timeduration may be the result of an activity or project being completed andis equivalent to an actual time duration.

Systems, methods, and other embodiments for facilitating the forecastingof activity and project time durations and completion dates of a projectplan associated with a computer application are disclosed. Exampleembodiments are discussed herein with respect to computerized projectscheduling, where activities are defined and are to be performed overscheduled time periods. Some activities are related by one or more oftiming with respect each other, common category (similar type ofactivities), or common resources used to complete the activities. In oneembodiment, a project scheduling tool is disclosed that is configured tointelligently forecast an accurate completion date for an on-goingproject and for the on-going tasks and activities making up the projectplan of the project.

In one embodiment, the project scheduling tool is configured to handleprojects composed of activities that are largely similar in nature aswell as more complex projects composed of activities that are widelydissimilar. A project scheduling tool takes into account project units(e.g., units of work) logged over elapsed periods of time of the projectand facilitates user selection of past time periods likely to reflectfuture progress of the project. This provides easier and more accurateestimation of completion dates and time durations for individual tasksof a project and for the entire project.

For example, in one embodiment, a project scheduling tool is configuredto calculate a percentage time deviation, between a more accurate,updated time duration and a planned time duration, for each presentactivity of a project to form a plurality of percentage time deviations.An arithmetic mean of the plurality of percentage time deviations iscalculated and a time duration of at least one future activity of theproject, that is related to each present activity, is transformed basedon the arithmetic mean.

In one embodiment, data is represented in terms of at least onecomputer-implemented data structure. A data structure can be transformedwithin a computing system by transforming the data within the datastructure, transforming the structure of the data structure, or both.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a computer system 100, having acomputing device 105 configured with a project scheduling tool 110. Forexample, in one embodiment, the project scheduling tool 110 may be partof a project planning computer application of a company, configured tofacilitate the scheduling and updating of multiple activities of aproject plan. In accordance with one embodiment, a graphical userinterface is provided by the project planning computer application(e.g., by a visual user interface logic of the project scheduling tool110). In one embodiment, the project planning computer application maycomprise construction management software that computerizes the processfor constructing a building or other object. In one embodiment, thesoftware and computing device 105 may be configured to operate with orbe implemented as a cloud-based networking system, asoftware-as-a-service (SaaS) architecture, or other type of computingsolution.

With reference to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the project scheduling tool110 is implemented on the computing device 105 and includes logics forimplementing various functional aspects of the project scheduling tool110. In one embodiment, the project scheduling tool 110 includes aschedule forecasting logic 115, a schedule roll-up logic 120, and avisual user interface logic 125 which are operably connected to eachother within the project scheduling tool 110.

However, other embodiments may provide different logics or combinationsof logics that provide the same or similar functionality as the projectscheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the project schedulingtool 110 is an executable application including algorithms and/orprogram modules configured to perform the functions of the logics. Theapplication is stored in a non-transitory medium.

The computer system 100 also includes a display screen 130 operablyconnected to the computing device 105. In accordance with oneembodiment, the display screen 130 is used to display views of andfacilitate user interaction with a graphical user interface (GUI)provided by the visual user interface logic 125 for project scheduling.In one embodiment, the project scheduling tool 110 is a centralizedserver-side application that is accessed by many users. Thus the displayscreen 130 may represent multiple computing devices/terminals that allowusers to access and receive services from the project scheduling tool110 via networked computer communications.

In one embodiment, the computer system 100 further includes at least onedatabase device 140 operably connected to the computing device 105 or anetwork interface to access the database device 140 via a networkconnection. In accordance with one embodiment, the database device 140is configured to store and manage data structures (e.g., records ofactivities and resources) associated with the project scheduling tool110 in a database system (e.g., a program plan computer application).

Referring back to the logics of the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG.1, in one embodiment, the visual user interface logic 125 is configuredto provide a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with a projectplanning computer application. For example, the visual user interfacelogic 125 includes program code that generates and causes the graphicaluser interface to be displayed based on an implemented graphical designof the interface. In response to user actions and selections via theGUI, associated aspects of activities of a project plan may be editedand updated

In one embodiment, the visual user interface logic 125 is alsoconfigured to generate a graph representing a project or an activity interms of project units versus time. The project units may include, forexample, one of man-hours, miles-of-track, cubic feet, or cubic meters.Many other types of project units are possible as well, in accordancewith other embodiments.

The graph is based on an actual project (or activity) data structure,specifying an actual progress of the project (or activity), and aplanned progress data structure, specifying a planned progress of theproject (or activity). The planned progress of the project (or activity)includes a first (initial or baseline) forecasted completion date forthe project (or activity). Examples of such graphs are illustrated anddiscussed herein with respect to FIGS. 2-8.

The visual user interface logic 125 is configured to facilitate userediting of at least one of the actual progress data structure and theplanned progress data structure via the graphical user interface. Forexample, as the project (or activity) progresses, a user (e.g., aproject manager) may enter recent actual progress data into the actualprogress data structure. Furthermore, at the beginning of the project(or activity), a user may enter planned progress data into the plannedprogress data structure.

The visual user interface logic 125 is further configured to facilitateuser placement of a trend start indicium and a trend finish indicium, onthe display screen 130 via the graphical user interface, with respect toa representation of the actual progress on the graph. A user may selectthe placement of the indicia based on, for example, having theperception that the trend of actual progress between the indicia is agood representation of expected future progress. Examples of theplacement of such indicia are illustrated and discussed herein withrespect to FIGS. 2-8.

In one embodiment, the visual user interface logic 125 is configured tofacilitate user placement of check point indicia, via the graphical userinterface, with respect to the representation of the actual progress onthe graph. The visual user interface logic 125 is also configured togenerate check point data structures associated with the check pointindicia and facilitate entry of user comment data, via the graphicaluser interface, into the check point data structures. The visual userinterface logic 125 is further configured to facilitate recalling of theuser comment data, via the graphical user interface, from the checkpoint data structures and facilitate displaying of the user comment dataon the display screen 130. An example of such checkpoints is illustratedand discussed herein with respect to FIG. 3.

The schedule forecasting logic 115 is configured to generate the plannedprogress data structure having planned progress data characterizing aplanned progress of the project (or activity). The schedule forecastinglogic 115 is also configured to generate the actual progress datastructure having actual progress data characterizing an actual progressof the project (or activity). The schedule forecasting logic 115 isfurther configured to generate a slope value corresponding to a slope ofa linear path between the trend start indicium and the trend finishindicium on the graph. The slope value represents a pace or velocity ofactual progress of the project (or activity) between the two indicia.

The schedule forecasting logic 115 is configured to extrapolate theactual progress data within the actual progress data structure (i.e.,transform the actual progress data structure), based on the slope value,from a current time to a future time. The future time corresponds to asecond (updated or forecasted) completion date for a project (oractivity). In this manner, a more accurate or realistic project (oractivity) completion date may be forecasted based on a pace or velocityof actual progress data. Examples of such extrapolations are illustratedand discussed herein with respect to FIGS. 2-8.

In accordance with one embodiment, a project may include multipleactivities organized across multiple categories of the project. Forexample, a project may include a plumbing category having plumbingactivities, an electrical category having electrical activities, and aconcrete category having concrete activities. The activities andcategories may be related to each other in time. For example, oneactivity may not be able to be started until another activity iscompleted. Likewise, one category of activities may not be able to bestarted until another category of activities is completed.

Furthermore, activities and categories may be related to each other byone or more resources. For example, two activities may be scheduled touse the same resource to perform the two activities. Therefore, the twoactivities may have to be staggered in time to ensure that the resourceis available for both activities.

The schedule roll-up logic 120 is configured to roll up time durationsand completion dates for multiple activities across multiple categoriesof a project based on relationship constraints. Once time durations andcompletion dates for individual activities of a project have beenupdated by the schedule forecasting logic 115, the schedule roll-uplogic 120 inputs information including the time durations, completiondates, and relationships with respect to time and resources. Theschedule roll-up logic 120 operates on the input information to positionthe activities of the various categories of the project in time withrespect to each other and to generate a forecast completion date for theproject. An example of rolling up activities of a project is discussedlater herein with respect to FIGS. 11-12.

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate various example embodiments of project progressgraphs showing how the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1 facilitatesdetermining a more accurate completion date for a project. The projectscheduling tool 110 allows a user to select a period of time that bestrepresents the underlying trend (i.e., the conditions most likely toprevail in the remaining duration of a project). Along a plotted line ofactual progress, two indicia may be provided denoting the start andfinish of the representative period (representative trend region),respectively. In one embodiment, the visual user interface logic 125 isconfigured to generate project progress graphs through operableinteraction with the schedule forecasting logic 115.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a line 205, representing a planned progress of aproject, is shown on a graph 210 of time versus project units for theproject. The line 205 has a planned start point 215 (e.g., correspondingto a start date) for the project and a planned completion point 220(e.g., corresponding to a completion date) for the project. The graph210 also has a plotted line (curved line) of actual progress 225representing the actual progress of the project up to a current point230 corresponding to a current date.

In one embodiment, a user may drag a trend start indicium to any pointon the curve of actual progress 225 and set that point as the start ofthe representative period. Alternatively, the user may right-click onthe same point and select a “Set as Trend Start” option from a displayedmenu. Similarly, the user may select any point on the curve of actualprogress 225 that lies to the right of the trend start indicium toposition or set a trend finish indicium.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a user may place a trend start indicium at theplanned start point 215 on the line of actual progress 225 and a trendfinish indicium at the current point 230 on the line of actual progress225. In FIG. 2A, the indicia are graphically represented by a circled X.The slope of the line of actual progress 225, between the two indicium,represents the actual velocity or pace of work on the project. Thisvelocity can fluctuate, depending on the actual ground realities facedwhile executing the project. Variance from the planned velocity canoccur due to one-off events, or because of recurring (but unforeseen)events.

In one embodiment, a user may enter specific dates rather than infer therepresentative period from the slope of the line of actual progress byselecting two points on the horizontal time axis using a similarright-click menu. The user may also manually edit the start and enddates of the representative period that appear below the graph. In oneembodiment, the default positions of the trend start indicium and thetrend finish indicium are the first and last points, 215 and 230, on theline of actual progress 225, respectively. In other words, by default,the tool 110 considers the future velocity of work to be the averagevelocity of the work performed to date.

Referring to FIG. 2A, in one embodiment, the tool 110 connects thepositions on the graph of the two indicia by a straight line 235 andextends the straight line 235 to the right, at a slope, until thestraight line 235 intersects an (imaginary) horizontal line 240 denotingthe total number of project units for the project. The x-coordinate 245,corresponding the right-most point 250 of the extended straight line235, corresponds to the forecasted completion date of the entireproject. The slope of the straight line 235 determines where theforecasted completion date will fall on the graph 210.

FIG. 2B is similar to FIG. 2A, except that the trend start indicium isat a different position 255 on the line of actual progress 225. In thismanner, the different slope of the straight line 260 between the trendstart indicium and the trend finish indicium results in a differentforecasted completion date 265 for the project.

FIG. 2C is similar to FIG. 2A, except that the trend finish indicium isat a different position 270 on the line of actual progress 225. In thismanner, the different slope of the straight line 275 between the trendstart indicium and the trend finish indicium results in a differentforecasted completion date 280 for the project. Note that, as in FIG. 2Aand FIG. 2B, a straight line 283 is extended from the last point on theline of actual progress 225 at the slope of the straight line 275. InFIG. 2A and FIG. 2B the extended straight line is co-linear with thestraight line between the trend indicia. However, in FIG. 2C, since theposition of the trend finish indicium does not coincide with the lastpoint on the line of actual progress 225, the extended straight line 283is parallel to the straight line 275, but not co-linear.

FIG. 2D is similar to FIG. 2A, except that both the trend start indiciumand the trend finish indicium are at different positions 285 and 290,respectively, on the line of actual progress 225. In this manner, thedifferent slope of the straight line 295 between the trend startindicium and the trend finish indicium results in a different forecastedcompletion date 297 for the project. Note that, as in FIG. 2A and FIG.2B, a straight line 299 is extended from the last point on the line ofactual progress 225 at the slope of the straight line 295. In FIG. 2Aand FIG. 2B the extended straight line is co-linear with the straightline between the trend indicia. However, in FIG. 2C, since the positionsof the trend start indicium and the trend finish indicium do notcoincide with the first and last points, respectively, on the line ofactual progress 225, the extended straight line 299 is parallel to thestraight line 295, but not co-linear.

In this manner, the completion date of a project can be updated to moreaccurately reflect actual progress of the project. The user hasdiscretion with respect to selecting a representative trend region fromthe actual progress. The project scheduling tool 110 is configured toextend the line of actual progress from the last point of the actualdata (e.g., today's date) to an updated projection completion point at arate corresponding to the slope of the straight line between trendpoints bounding the representative trend region.

As discussed above with respect to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, theschedule forecasting logic 115 is configured to facilitate updating thecompletion date of a project to more accurately reflect actual progressof the project. The techniques discussed herein with respect to FIGS.2A-2B may also be applied to an individual activity of a project, inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates one example embodiment of a project progress graph300 showing how the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1 facilitatesthe defining of check points and the entering of associated commentswith respect to a project. There are often planned and unplannedaberrations in the course of a project due to changes in certain factorsduring the project execution phase. Such changes can include, forexample, a change in conditions (e.g., a change in terrain while layinga railway track), replacement of resources assigned to the project(e.g., shifting to newer machinery), or unplanned holidays taken bylabor resources.

The project scheduling tool 110 is configured to keep track of the dateson which such impactful changes have been recorded and highlights thecorresponding check points 301-305 on the line of actual progress 310(as shown in FIG. 3). Before attempting to forecast the project, asdiscussed previously herein, a project manager may view the check pointdetails (e.g., comments 320) by hovering on the respective check pointindicia and, therefore, make a better informed forecast (e.g., select abetter representative trend region). As discussed above with respect toFIG. 1, in one embodiment, the visual user interface logic 125 isconfigured to facilitate user interaction with the graphical userinterface to manipulate check point information.

FIG. 4 illustrates a first example embodiment of a project progressgraph 400, provided by the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1, for aproject to connect two cities by railway track. FIG. 4 shows a line 410,representing a planned progress of a project, on a graph 400 of timeversus project units for the project. The line 410 has a planned startpoint 420 (e.g., corresponding to a start date 425) for the project anda planned completion point 430 (e.g., corresponding to a plannedcompletion date 435) for the project. The graph 400 also has a plottedline 440 of actual progress representing the actual progress of theproject up to a current point 450 corresponding to a current date 460.

With respect to the project of FIG. 4, it can be seen that the actualprogress of the project is lagging behind the planned progress of theproject. The lagging behind may prompt a project manager to investigatethe cause of the slow pace of work. For example, the project manager maydiscover that tough and undulating terrain is the cause of the delay.

In response, the project manager can use the project scheduling tool 110to select a representative time interval starting from the start point420 of the project and going to the current date 460 as discussedearlier herein. The schedule forecasting logic 115 can extrapolate theline of actual progress 440 to a forecast completion point 470, usingthe techniques discussed earlier herein, to determine a more realisticcompletion date 475 for the project.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second example embodiment of a project progressgraph 500, provided by the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1, for aproject to connect two cities by railway track. The graph 500 is similarto the graph 400 of FIG. 4. However, in the example of FIG. 5, insteadof simply accepting the delay due to the tough and undulating terrain,the project manager has decided to try to more closely meet the originalplanned completion date of the project. As such, the project manager hasdecided to procure new equipment specifically built for use inundulating terrain.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, as the pace of work increases with the use ofthe new equipment, the line of actual progress 440 slopes more steeplyupwards from point 450 to point 505. The project manager can arrive atan accurate estimate for project completion by having the tool 110extend the actual line of progress 440, based on the use of the newequipment from point 450 at time 460 to point 455 at the current time510, to a newly projected completion point 515. As can be seen in FIG.5, the projected date of completion of the project 520 is much closer tothe original planned date of completion 435 than in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates a third example embodiment of a project progressgraph 600, provided by the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1, for aproject to connect two cities by railway track. In this example, locallabor is hired and used for the project. Therefore, as laying of therailway track proceeds, new laborers are hired to replace the earlierones. For example, the churn of laborers may occur every 100 miles.

The productivity of new laborers is lower initially while they acclimateto the project. For example, the pace of work for the new laborers mayreach the planned pace after they complete laying thirty (30) miles oftrack. To get an accurate estimate of the overall duration of theproject, the project manager can consider the average pace over one ormore hiring cycles.

As seen in FIG. 6, the project manager has selected two points (a trendstart point 610 and a trend finish point 620) along the line of actualprogress that correspond to the start and finish of a hiring cycle.Using the techniques previously described herein, the project schedulingtool 110 determines an accurate projection for the completion date 630of the project.

FIG. 7 illustrates a fourth example embodiment of a project progressgraph 700, provided by the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1, for aproject to connect two cities by railway track. In this example, work onthe railway stops after a while at point 710 due to a labor dispute.After the dispute gets resolved at point 720, the work proceeds atroughly the originally planned pace.

As seen in FIG. 7, a project manager may select a representative trendregion of actual progress starting from the resumption of work at point720 and extending to the current date 725 corresponding to point 730.Using the techniques described herein, the project scheduling tool 110extends the actual line of progress 740 after the resumption of work topoint 750. The point 750 corresponds to a newly projected completiondate 760 for the project which takes into account the delay due to thework stoppage.

FIG. 8 illustrates a fifth example embodiment of a project progressgraph 800, provided by the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1, for aproject to connect two cities by railway track. In the real world, as aproject progresses, some days are more productive than others, even whenthe overall pace is in line with the plan. To accommodate such areality, a project manager may select the entire period from the startof the project at point 810 to the current date 820 corresponding topoint 825 as the representative trend region as shown in the example ofFIG. 8. As such, the day-to-day variations of productivity areeffectively ignored or filtered out, and an accurate completion date 830may be forecast, as shown in FIG. 8, corresponding to point 840.

Complex projects frequently comprise activities that are very dissimilarto each other. In such projects, it would likely be a mistake to assumethat delays or schedule deviations in one kind of activity would portenddelays in tasks of a different nature. An example of different activitycategories (e.g., for a hotel construction project) may include design,external construction, electrical work, plumbing, and furnishing. In oneembodiment, an activity code may be assigned to each activity toindicate a category to which the activity belongs. It may be likely,however, that schedule deviations in an activity belonging to onecategory may foreshadow similar deviations in other activities in thesame category.

In accordance with one embodiment, a project manager may view a graphfor each on-going activity, instead of just a graph for the overallproject. The project manager may use the project scheduling tool 110 togenerate projections for each activity in a similar manner to thatdescribed previously herein with respect to an overall project. Theproject scheduling tool 110 may provide the project manager with thechoice to use the generated projections for other activities in the samecategory, activities helmed by the same resource, or both.

Forecasted dates for future activities may be determined by applying thesame percentage deviation of duration as seen in the projections. Inaddition to the projections for on-going activities, the actual durationof completed activities may also inform the projected duration of futureactivities. Where there is more than one activity of a type that iscompleted or is in progress, the projected duration of future activitiesmay differ from their planned durations by the arithmetic mean of thepercentage deviations in the durations of the completed and on-goingactivities. The computation and application of such an arithmetic meanis discussed later herein with respect to FIG. 10.

FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of a computer-implemented method 900performed by the project scheduling tool 110 of the computer system 100of FIG. 1, for aiding a project manager to obtain an accurate view ofprogress of a project, both past and projected. Method 900 isimplemented to be performed by the project scheduling tool 110 of FIG.1, or by a computing device configured with an algorithm of the method900.

Method 900 will be described from the perspective that a complex projecthas many activities that are categorized into various categories. Atleast some of the activities and categories are dependently related toeach other in time. Furthermore, some of the activities and categoriesmay rely on using some of the same resources.

Upon initiating method 900, at block 910, a time duration for eachuncompleted activity in each category of a project is transformed intoan updated time duration. The transformation for each activity is basedon at least one completed or partially completed activity in acorresponding category. The assumption is that activities in a samecategory are similar in nature and are likely to progress at a similarrate. In one embodiment, the schedule forecasting logic 115 isconfigured to transform the time durations.

Again, at least some of the activities and categories are dependentlyrelated to each other in time. Examples of categories for a project mayinclude plumbing work, electrical work, and concrete work. Examples ofplumbing activities may include: install underground water lines,install bathroom fixtures, and connect taps to water lines.

At block 920, a completion date is forecasted for each uncompletedactivity for each category. The forecast is based on the updated timeduration for each uncompleted activity and how at least some of theactivities and categories are dependently related to each other in time.In one embodiment, the schedule forecasting logic 115 is configured toforecast the completion dates. At block 930, a completion date for theentire project is forecasted by rolling up time durations and completiondates for all of the activities of the project (whether completed ornot) across all of the categories of the project. In one embodiment, theschedule roll-up logic 120 is configured to determine a completion datefor the entire project.

In one embodiment, at least one data structure having datarepresentative of the project may be transformed based on the completiondate for the project and the completion date for each uncompletedactivity. The completion date may be presented on the display screen 130to a user. Other information within the data structure may be displayedas well.

In one embodiment transforming a time duration for an uncompletedactivity may be accomplished by specifying a trend start point and atrend finish point with respect to actual progress data. The actualprogress data is in project units versus time and is associated with atleast one completed or partially completed activity in a same categoryas the uncompleted activity. Examples of project units includeman-hours, miles-of-road, cubic feet, or cubic meters.

A slope value is generated, in project units per unit time. The slopevalue corresponds to a slope of a linear path between the trend startpoint and the trend finish point of the actual progress data associatedwith the completed or partially completed activity. A baseline end timeof the time duration for the uncompleted activity is adjusted byextrapolating from the baseline end time to an adjusted end time basedon the slope value. The updated time duration of the uncompletedactivity corresponds to the time between the start of the uncompletedactivity and the adjusted end time of the uncompleted activity.

In another embodiment, transforming a time duration for an uncompletedactivity may be accomplished by calculating a percentage time deviation,between an actual time duration and a planned time duration, for atleast one completed or partially completed activity in a same categoryas the uncompleted activity. The percentage time deviation is applied tothe time duration for the uncompleted activity. In this manner, the timeduration is transformed into an updated time duration. Applying thepercentage time deviation to the time duration of an uncompletedactivity may result in extending the time duration of the uncompletedactivity. Alternatively, applying the percentage time deviation to thetime duration of an uncompleted activity may result in compressing thetime duration of the uncompleted activity.

In this manner, the time duration of an uncompleted activity istransformed. For example, the time duration of the uncompleted activitymay be extended such that the adjusted end time occurs after thebaseline end time. Alternatively, the time duration of the uncompletedactivity may be compressed such that the adjusted end time occurs beforethe baseline end time. By relying on actual data from similarly relatedactivities, accurate estimates of time durations for uncompletedactivities may be determined and rolled up along with all otheractivities of a project to arrive at an accurate estimate for a projectcompletion date.

In one embodiment, a first data structure, having data representing aplurality of present activities of a project that are related, istransformed. The first data structure is transformed by calculating apercentage time deviation between an updated time duration and a plannedtime duration for each of the plurality of present activities to form aplurality of percentage time deviation data within the first datastructure. An arithmetic mean of the plurality of percentage timedeviation data is calculated. A second data structure, having datarepresenting at least one future activity of the project which isrelated to the plurality of present activities, is transformed. Thesecond data structure is transformed by transforming a planned timeduration of the future activity into an updated time duration of thefuture activity based on the arithmetic mean. The updated time durationof the future activity may be displayed on the display screen 130.

FIG. 10 illustrates one example embodiment of how the project schedulingtool 110 of FIG. 1 determines a representative rate of progress foractivities of a project within a related project category using themethod 900 of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 shows an activity table 1000 for aplumbing category of a project. Each row displayed in the activity table1000 corresponds to either a completed activity or an on-going activity.

In one embodiment, each row in the table 1000 in preceded by a check box1010 that is checked by default to indicate that the correspondingactivity is to be included in a percentage time deviation calculation.If a project manager feels that a particular activity is an outlier or afluke, and should not be included in the percentage time deviationcalculation, the corresponding checkbox can be unchecked. After havingunchecked all non-representative activities, the project manager maycommand the project scheduling tool 110 to proceed with the forecastingprocess.

Referring to FIG. 10, there are two (2) on-going plumbing activities andfour (4) completed plumbing activities. Activity number 5 was taken upby a certain plumber who has not been keeping too well of late and has,therefore, been performing well below potential. Keeping this in mind,the project manager decides to uncheck (eliminate) activity 5, as theproject manager deems activity 5 to be unrepresentative of the generaltrend of plumbing activities.

In this manner, the project scheduling tool 110 will take into accountthe projected or updated time duration, instead of the planned timeduration, for an on-going or future activity that is related to othercompleted or on-going activities. Therefore, a completion date of theproject generated through the scheduling process will reflect theinsights gathered from the behavior of completed or on-going activities.

FIG. 10 clearly shows the planned time durations 1020 and the updated(actual or projected) time durations 1030 in units of days for eachactivity. In accordance with one embodiment, the project scheduling tool110 calculates a percentage time deviation 1040 for each activity. Thepercentage time deviation corresponds to a percentage difference betweenan updated time duration and a planned time duration for each activity.The updated time durations for the two (2) on-going plumbing activitiesmay be arrived at using the previous techniques discussed herein withrespect to a project in FIGS. 2A-2D.

For example, a slope value, in terms of project units per unit time, maybe generated corresponding to a slope of a linear path between a trendstart point and a trend finish point over a user-selected portion of acompleted time duration of an on-going activity. A remaining timeduration of the on-going activity may be extrapolated, based on theslope value, from a current time to a future time corresponding to anupdated completion date of the on-going activity. In this manner, theproject scheduling tool 110 will take into account the more accurate orrealistic updated time duration (completed time duration+remaining timeduration), instead of the planned time duration, for the on-goingactivity.

In one embodiment, the project scheduling tool 110 is configured tocalculate the arithmetic mean of the percentage time deviations of thechecked activities. The arithmetic mean of the percentage timedeviations of the checked activities in FIG. 10 is 4.5%. In this manner,the planned time duration of a future plumbing activity may be updatedbased on the arithmetic mean. For example, a future plumbing activityhaving a planned time duration of 7 days may be transformed such thatits updated time duration is 7.315 days (i.e., 7 days×1.045).

FIGS. 11-12 illustrate one example embodiment of how the projectscheduling tool 110 of FIG. 1 forecasts a completion date for a projectby rolling up activities across categories of the project using themethod 900 of FIG. 9. FIG. 11 reflects a house construction project intabular form. The table 1100 lists component activities to be performedto complete the house construction project, along with start and finishdates (actual or planned, depending on whether or not the activity hasstarted). The adjoining Gantt chart 1110 illustrates the correspondingplots of the activities along the time axis, supplemented with connectorarrows denoting the relationships between the various activities.

The activities in FIG. 11 have been categorized, based on their natureof work, in categories of concrete construction, plumbing construction,and electrical work. The first activity under the category of concreteconstruction is that of “form/pour concrete foundation”, having a startdate that coincides with the start date of the house constructionproject. Upon completion, the actual duration of the “form/pour concretefoundation” activity is 18 days, which happens to overshoot the plannedduration of 15 days by 3 days.

In accordance with one embodiment, the rates at which the threeremaining concrete construction activities proceed are extrapolatedusing the representative rate of the completed or on-going concreteconstruction activities. In this example, the “form/pour concretefoundation” activity is considered the default representative activity.The percentage time deviation for the “form/pour concrete foundation”activity is calculated as:

${{Percentage}\mspace{14mu} {time}\mspace{14mu} {deviation}\mspace{14mu} {of}\mspace{14mu} {``{{{Form}/{Pour}}\mspace{14mu} {Concrete}\mspace{14mu} {Foundation}}"}} = {\quad{{\left\lbrack {\left\lbrack \frac{\left( {{{Actual}\mspace{14mu} {Duration}} - {{Planned}\mspace{14mu} {Duration}}} \right)}{{Planned}\mspace{14mu} {Duration}} \right\rbrack \times 100} \right\rbrack \%} = {{\left\lbrack {\left\lbrack \frac{\left( {18 - 15} \right)}{15} \right\rbrack \times 100} \right\rbrack \%} = {20\%}}}}$

Consequently, for a given future (not started) concrete constructionactivity, A:

Projected Duration_((A))=120% of Planned Duration_((A))

Similarly, for the second category of activities (plumbing), the“install underground water lines” activity is taken as a representativeactivity since it is the only plumbing activity that has started. Therepresentative rate is taken as the rate at which the units of work havebeen completed so far. The “install underground water lines” activity isan immediate successor of the “form/pour concrete foundation” activity,but with a lag of negative 2 days. That is, the start date of the“install underground water lines” activity is offset to 2 days beforethe “form/pour concrete foundation” activity finishes (on October 23).

In the example of FIG. 11, it is assumed that the value of the plannedlabor units for the “install underground water lines” activity is 10units and planned units per time is one (1) unit per day. Since theplanned time duration is 10 days then, 2 days after the start of thisactivity, 2 units of work would be expected to be completed. However,due to an unexpectedly productive workforce of plumbers, 2.5 units ofwork are completed over the 2 days instead of just 2 units. The plannedtime to complete 2.5 units is 2.5 days. The percentage time deviationfor the “install underground water lines” activity is calculated as:

${{Percentage}\mspace{14mu} {time}\mspace{14mu} {deviation}\mspace{14mu} {of}\mspace{14mu} {``{{Install}\mspace{14mu} {Underground}\mspace{14mu} {Water}\mspace{14mu} {Lines}}"}} = {{\left\lbrack {\left\lbrack \frac{\left( {{{Actual}\mspace{14mu} {Duration}} - {{Planned}\mspace{14mu} {Duration}}} \right)}{{Planned}\mspace{14mu} {Duration}} \right\rbrack \times 100} \right\rbrack \%} = {{\left\lbrack {\left\lbrack \frac{\left( {2 - 2.5} \right)}{2} \right\rbrack \times 100} \right\rbrack \%} = {{- 25}\%}}}$

Consequently, for a given future (not started) or In-Progress plumbingactivity, B:

Projected Duration_((B))=(1−25/100)×Planned Duration_((B))=75% ofPlanned Duration_((B))

For the third category of activities (electrical work), none of theactivities have been started. Therefore, the representative rate foreach of the activities is the same as their planned rates, and thepercentage time deviation is 0%. Consequently, for any electrical workactivity, C:

Projected Duration_((C))=Planned Duration_((C))

With durations of each of the uncompleted activities of the houseconstruction project having been thus extrapolated, the schedule roll-uplogic 120 of the project scheduling tool 110 may roll up the forecastsand dates, not just based on the relationships between activities, butalso based on the newly updated (projected) durations as shown in thetable 1200 of FIG. 12.

Referring to FIG. 12, the forecasted completion date 1210 of the houseconstruction project is now offset to January 8, as opposed to the moreoptimistic date of December 31. The project manager may take upmitigation plans, if any, to attempt to make up for the delay of theoverall project.

Systems, methods, and other embodiments for providing scheduling ofactivities of a project plan associated with a computer application havebeen described herein. In one embodiment, a project scheduling tool isconfigured to handle projects composed of activities that are largelysimilar in nature as well as more complex projects composed ofactivities that are widely dissimilar. The project scheduling tool takesinto account project units (e.g., units of work) logged over elapsedperiods of time of the project and facilitates user selection of pasttime periods likely to reflect future progress of the project. Thisprovides easier and more accurate estimation of completion dates andtime durations for individual tasks of a project and for the entireproject.

Computing Device Embodiment

FIG. 13 illustrates an example computing device that is configuredand/or programmed with one or more of the example systems and methodsdescribed herein, and/or equivalents. FIG. 13 illustrates one exampleembodiment of a computing device upon which an embodiment of a projectscheduling tool may be implemented. The example computing device may bea computer 1300 that includes a processor 1302, a memory 1304, andinput/output ports 1310 operably connected by a bus 1308. In oneexample, the computer 1300 may include project scheduling tool 1330configured to facilitate the forecasting of activity and project timedurations and completion dates similar to project scheduling tool 110shown in FIG. 1. In different examples, the tool 1330 may be implementedin hardware, a non-transitory computer-readable medium with storedinstructions, firmware, and/or combinations thereof. While the tool 1330is illustrated as a hardware component attached to the bus 1308, it isto be appreciated that in other embodiments, the tool 1330 could beimplemented in the processor 1302, stored in memory 1304, or stored indisk 1306.

In one embodiment, tool 1330 or the computer 1300 is a means (e.g.,structure: hardware, non-transitory computer-readable medium, firmware)for performing the actions described. In some embodiments, the computingdevice may be a server operating in a cloud computing system, a serverconfigured in a Software as a Service (SaaS) architecture, a smartphone, laptop, tablet computing device, and so on.

The means may be implemented, for example, as an ASIC programmed tofacilitate the management of activities and resources of a project plan.The means may also be implemented as stored computer executableinstructions that are presented to computer 1300 as data 1316 that aretemporarily stored in memory 1304 and then executed by processor 1302.

Tool 1330 may also provide means (e.g., hardware, non-transitorycomputer-readable medium that stores executable instructions, firmware)for facilitating the forecasting of activity and project time durationsand completion dates.

Generally describing an example configuration of the computer 1300, theprocessor 1302 may be a variety of various processors including dualmicroprocessor and other multi-processor architectures. A memory 1304may include volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Non-volatilememory may include, for example, ROM, PROM, and so on. Volatile memorymay include, for example, RAM, SRAM, DRAM, and so on.

A storage disk 1306 may be operably connected to the computer 1300 via,for example, an input/output interface (e.g., card, device) 1318 and aninput/output port 1310. The disk 1306 may be, for example, a magneticdisk drive, a solid state disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a tape drive,a Zip drive, a flash memory card, a memory stick, and so on.Furthermore, the disk 1306 may be a CD-ROM drive, a CD-R drive, a CD-RWdrive, a DVD ROM, and so on. The memory 1304 can store a process 1314and/or a data 1316, for example. The disk 1306 and/or the memory 1304can store an operating system that controls and allocates resources ofthe computer 1300.

The computer 1300 may interact with input/output devices via the i/ointerfaces 1318 and the input/output ports 1310. Input/output devicesmay be, for example, a keyboard, a microphone, a pointing and selectiondevice, cameras, video cards, displays, the disk 1306, the networkdevices 1320, and so on. The input/output ports 1310 may include, forexample, serial ports, parallel ports, and USB ports.

The computer 1300 can operate in a network environment and thus may beconnected to the network devices 1320 via the i/o interfaces 1318,and/or the i/o ports 1310. Through the network devices 1320, thecomputer 1300 may interact with a network. Through the network, thecomputer 1300 may be logically connected to remote computers. Networkswith which the computer 1300 may interact include, but are not limitedto, a LAN, a WAN, and other networks.

DEFINITIONS AND OTHER EMBODIMENTS

In another embodiment, the described methods and/or their equivalentsmay be implemented with computer executable instructions. Thus, in oneembodiment, a non-transitory computer readable/storage medium isconfigured with stored computer executable instructions of analgorithm/executable application that when executed by a machine(s)cause the machine(s) (and/or associated components) to perform themethod. Example machines include but are not limited to a processor, acomputer, a server operating in a cloud computing system, a serverconfigured in a Software as a Service (SaaS) architecture, a smartphone, and so on). In one embodiment, a computing device is implementedwith one or more executable algorithms that are configured to performany of the disclosed methods.

In one or more embodiments, the disclosed methods or their equivalentsare performed by either: computer hardware configured to perform themethod; or computer software embodied in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium including an executable algorithm configured toperform the method.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the illustratedmethodologies in the figures are shown and described as a series ofblocks of an algorithm, it is to be appreciated that the methodologiesare not limited by the order of the blocks. Some blocks can occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from that shownand described. Moreover, less than all the illustrated blocks may beused to implement an example methodology. Blocks may be combined orseparated into multiple actions/components. Furthermore, additionaland/or alternative methodologies can employ additional actions that arenot illustrated in blocks. The methods described herein are limited tostatutory subject matter under 35 U.S.C §101.

The following includes definitions of selected terms employed herein.The definitions include various examples and/or forms of components thatfall within the scope of a term and that may be used for implementation.The examples are not intended to be limiting. Both singular and pluralforms of terms may be within the definitions.

References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “one example”, “anexample”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) sodescribed may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic,property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment orexample necessarily includes that particular feature, structure,characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeateduse of the phrase “in one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to thesame embodiment, though it may.

ASIC: application specific integrated circuit.

CD: compact disk.

CD-R: CD recordable.

CD-RW: CD rewriteable.

DVD: digital versatile disk and/or digital video disk.

HTTP: hypertext transfer protocol.

LAN: local area network.

RAM: random access memory.

DRAM: dynamic RAM.

SRAM: synchronous RAM.

ROM: read only memory.

PROM: programmable ROM.

EPROM: erasable PROM.

EEPROM: electrically erasable PROM.

USB: universal serial bus.

WAN: wide area network.

An “operable connection”, or a connection by which entities are“operably connected”, is one in which signals, physical communications,and/or logical communications may be sent and/or received. An operableconnection may include a physical interface, an electrical interface,and/or a data interface. An operable connection may include differingcombinations of interfaces and/or connections sufficient to allowoperable control. For example, two entities can be operably connected tocommunicate signals to each other directly or through one or moreintermediate entities (e.g., processor, operating system, logic,non-transitory computer-readable medium). Logical and/or physicalcommunication channels can be used to create an operable connection.

A “data structure”, as used herein, is an organization of data in acomputing system that is stored in a memory, a storage device, or othercomputerized system. A data structure may be any one of, for example, adata field, a data file, a data array, a data record, a database, a datatable, a graph, a tree, a linked list, and so on. A data structure maybe formed from and contain many other data structures (e.g., a databaseincludes many data records). Other examples of data structures arepossible as well, in accordance with other embodiments.

“Computer communication”, as used herein, refers to a communicationbetween computing devices (e.g., computer, personal digital assistant,cellular telephone) and can be, for example, a network transfer, a filetransfer, an applet transfer, an email, an HTTP transfer, and so on. Acomputer communication can occur across, for example, a wireless system(e.g., IEEE 802.11), an Ethernet system (e.g., IEEE 802.3), a token ringsystem (e.g., IEEE 802.5), a LAN, a WAN, a point-to-point system, acircuit switching system, a packet switching system, and so on.

“Computer-readable medium” or “computer storage medium”, as used herein,refers to a non-transitory medium that stores instructions and/or dataconfigured to perform one or more of the disclosed functions whenexecuted. A computer-readable medium may take forms, including, but notlimited to, non-volatile media, and volatile media. Non-volatile mediamay include, for example, optical disks, magnetic disks, and so on.Volatile media may include, for example, semiconductor memories, dynamicmemory, and so on. Common forms of a computer-readable medium mayinclude, but are not limited to, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a harddisk, a magnetic tape, other magnetic medium, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device, a compact disk(CD), other optical medium, a random access memory (RAM), a read onlymemory (ROM), a memory chip or card, a memory stick, solid state storagedevice (SSD), flash drive, and other media from which a computer, aprocessor or other electronic device can function with. Each type ofmedia, if selected for implementation in one embodiment, may includestored instructions of an algorithm configured to perform one or more ofthe disclosed and/or claimed functions. Computer-readable mediadescribed herein are limited to statutory subject matter under 35 U.S.C§101.

“Logic”, as used herein, represents a component that is implemented withcomputer or electrical hardware, firmware, a non-transitory medium withstored instructions of an executable application or program module,and/or combinations of these to perform any of the functions or actionsas disclosed herein, and/or to cause a function or action from anotherlogic, method, and/or system to be performed as disclosed herein. Logicmay include a microprocessor programmed with an algorithm, a discretelogic (e.g., ASIC), at least one circuit, an analog circuit, a digitalcircuit, a programmed logic device, a memory device containinginstructions of an algorithm, and so on, any of which may be configuredto perform one or more of the disclosed functions. In one embodiment,logic may include one or more gates, combinations of gates, or othercircuit components configured to perform one or more of the disclosedfunctions. Where multiple logics are described, it may be possible toincorporate the multiple logics into one logic. Similarly, where asingle logic is described, it may be possible to distribute that singlelogic between multiple logics. In one embodiment, one or more of theselogics are corresponding structure associated with performing thedisclosed and/or claimed functions. Choice of which type of logic toimplement may be based on desired system conditions or specifications.Logic is limited to statutory subject matter under 35 U.S.C. §101.

“User”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to one or morepersons, computers or other devices, or combinations of these.

“Operable interaction”, as used herein, refers to the logical orcommunicative cooperation between two or more logics via an operableconnection to accomplish a function.

While the disclosed embodiments have been illustrated and described inconsiderable detail, it is not the intention to restrict or in any waylimit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. It is, of course,not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components ormethodologies for purposes of describing the various aspects of thesubject matter. Therefore, the disclosure is not limited to the specificdetails or the illustrative examples shown and described. Thus, thisdisclosure is intended to embrace alterations, modifications, andvariations that fall within the scope of the appended claims, whichsatisfy the statutory subject matter requirements of 35 U.S.C. §101.

To the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is employed in thedetailed description or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in amanner similar to the term “comprising” as that term is interpreted whenemployed as a transitional word in a claim.

To the extent that the term “or” is used in the detailed description orclaims (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both”. When theapplicants intend to indicate “only A or B but not both” then the phrase“only A or B but not both” will be used. Thus, use of the term “or”herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use.

To the extent that the phrase “one or more of, A, B, and C” is usedherein, (e.g., a data store configured to store one or more of, A, B,and C) it is intended to convey the set of possibilities A, B, C, AB,AC, BC, and/or ABC (e.g., the data store may store only A, only B, onlyC, A&B, A&C, B&C, and/or A&B&C). It is not intended to require one of A,one of B, and one of C. When the applicants intend to indicate “at leastone of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C”, then the phrasing“at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C” will beused.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, associated with a project schedulingcomputer application, comprising: transforming a time duration, for eachuncompleted activity of a plurality of activities in each category of aplurality of categories of a project, into an updated time durationbased on at least one completed or partially completed activity in acorresponding category of the plurality of categories, wherein at leastsome of the plurality of activities and the plurality of categories aredependently related to each other in time; forecasting a completion datefor each uncompleted activity of the plurality of activities for eachcategory of the plurality of categories based on: (i) the updated timeduration for each uncompleted activity resulting from the transforming,and (ii) how at least some of the plurality of activities and theplurality of categories are dependently related to each other in time;forecasting a completion date for the project by rolling up timedurations and completion dates for the plurality of activities acrossthe plurality of categories; transforming at least one data structurehaving data representative of the project based on at least thecompletion date for the project and the completion date for eachuncompleted activity; and displaying at least the completion date forthe project.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming a timeduration for an uncompleted activity comprises: specifying a trend startpoint and a trend finish point with respect to actual progress data, inproject units versus time, associated with at least one completed orpartially completed activity in a same category as the uncompletedactivity; generating a slope value, in project units per unit time,corresponding to a slope of a linear path between the trend start pointand the trend finish point of the actual progress data associated withthe at least one completed or partially completed activity; andadjusting a baseline end time of the time duration for the uncompletedactivity by extrapolating from the baseline end time to an adjusted endtime based on the slope value.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein theadjusted end time occurs after the baseline end time.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the adjusted end time occurs before the baseline endtime.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming a time duration foran uncompleted activity comprises: calculating a percentage timedeviation, between an actual time duration and a planned time duration,for at least one completed or partially completed activity in a samecategory as the uncompleted activity; and applying the percentage timedeviation to the time duration for the uncompleted activity.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein applying the percentage time deviationextends the time duration for the uncompleted activity.
 7. The method ofclaim 5, wherein applying the percentage time deviation compresses thetime duration for the uncompleted activity.
 8. The method of claim 2,wherein the project units include one of man-hours, miles-of-road, cubicfeet, or cubic meters.
 9. A computing system, comprising: a displayscreen configured to display and facilitate user interaction with atleast a graphical user interface associated with a project schedulingcomputer application; visual user interface logic configured to: (i)provide the graphical user interface associated with the projectscheduling computer application, (ii) generate a graph representing aproject in terms of project units versus time based on at least anactual project data structure, specifying at least an actual progress ofthe project, and a planned progress data structure, specifying a plannedprogress of the project having a first forecasted project completiondate, and (iii) facilitate user placement of a trend start indicium anda trend finish indicium, on the display screen via the graphical userinterface, with respect to a representation of the actual progress onthe graph; and schedule forecasting logic configured to: (i) generatethe planned progress data structure having planned progress datacharacterizing the planned progress, (ii) generate the actual progressdata structure having actual progress data characterizing the actualprogress, (iii) generate a slope value corresponding to a slope of alinear path between the trend start indicium and the trend finishindicium on the graph, and (iv) transforming the actual progress datastructure by extrapolating the actual progress data within the actualprogress data structure, based on the slope value, from a current timeto a future time corresponding to a second forecasted project completiondate.
 10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the visual userinterface logic is configured to: facilitate user placement of checkpoint indicia, via the graphical user interface, with respect to therepresentation of the actual progress on the graph; generate check pointdata structures associated with the check point indicia; and facilitateentry of user comment data, via the graphical user interface, into thecheck point data structures.
 11. The computing system of claim 10,wherein the visual user interface logic is configured to: facilitaterecalling of the user comment data, via the graphical user interface,from the check point data structures; and facilitate displaying of theuser comment data on the display screen.
 12. The computing system ofclaim 9, wherein the project units include one of man-hours,miles-of-track, cubic feet, or cubic meters.
 13. The computing system ofclaim 9, wherein the visual user interface logic is configured tofacilitate user editing of at least one of the actual progress datastructure and the planned progress data structure via the graphical userinterface.
 14. The computing system of claim 9, further comprising adatabase device configured to store data structures associated with theproject scheduling computer application.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions thatare part of an algorithm that, when executed by a computer, cause thecomputer to perform a method, wherein the instructions compriseinstructions configured for: transforming a first data structure, havingdata representing a plurality of present activities of a project thatare related, by calculating a percentage time deviation between anupdated time duration and a planned time duration for each of theplurality of present activities to form a plurality of percentage timedeviation data within the first data structure; calculating anarithmetic mean of the plurality of percentage time deviation data;transforming a second data structure, having data representing at leastone future activity of the project which is related to the plurality ofpresent activities, by transforming a planned time duration of the atleast one future activity into an updated time duration of the at leastone future activity based on the arithmetic mean; and displaying theupdated time duration of the at least one future activity.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theinstructions further comprise instructions configured for eliminating atleast one activity, of the plurality of present activities, from thecalculating of the arithmetic mean.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions furthercomprise instructions configured for calculating an updated timeduration of an on-going activity of the plurality of present activitiesby: generating a slope value, in terms of project units per unit time,corresponding to a slope of a linear path between a trend start pointand a trend finish point over a user-selected portion of a completedtime duration of the on-going activity; generating a remaining timeduration of the on-going activity by extrapolating, based on the slopevalue, from a current time to a future time corresponding to an updatedcompletion date of the on-going activity; and adding the remaining timeduration to the completed time duration to generate the updated timeduration of the on-going activity.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein an updated time durationfor at least one of the plurality of present activities includes anactual time duration.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein the plurality of present activities includes at leastone of completed activities or on-going activities.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theplurality of present activities and the at least one future activity arerelated by at least one of being associated with a same category ofactivities or being associated with a same resource.